Using a customized search engine to address low health literacy: a program description

Abstract

In the provision of health information, it is the structure as much as the content of an information source that can influence a patient's ability to understand and act upon medical guidance. Canada has a commitment to providing equal, quality health care to all citizens, but a barrier to this equality has emerged as health information has gone online. This paper discusses the online information retrieval system in a patient library in a Canadian hospital, the barrier that this system created in connecting patients with health information, and how resources were reorganized to more equitably meet the needs of patients. The example of one information retrieval system provides a new frame through which to evaluate the organization of electronic information in health care settings.